Darkest Nights and Brightest Stars
by random-riter
Summary: Star has always been hard to control, but she's finally gone to far. Living in exile on Earth, she does what she wants, when she wants. But, when war breaks out on Mewni, will the disgraced princess aid the kingdom that abandoned her or will she let it all burn? Rated M for sexual stuff.
1. Fallen Star

**I've had this written for about three years now, but didn't post it since I wasn't sure about it. I'm still not sure what to do with it, but whatever. I think it has potential so we're rolling with it.**

Fallen Star

Star moaned and rolled over as the early afternoon light shone into her room. 2 p.m. on a Tuesday morning. Or afternoon. Whatever. Most people would consider that a completely unreasonable time to be waking up. If fact, any responsible adult would say that the only people who would even _consider_ the prospect of such a strange sleep schedule are destined to remain unemployed rejects in society, living off their parents' money for the rest of their lives. Either that, or they're unreasonably wealthy.

But for an unemployed reject planning on living off her parents' money for the rest of her life who also happens to be unreasonably wealthy like Star Butterfly, it was just another regular Tuesday morning. Or afternoon. Whatever.

The now 22-year-old Star rolled out of bed and fell flat on the floor, staying there for a moment before slowly pulling herself to her feet. She stretched, then took a minute to let the Southern California sunlight warm her naked body. Though half of her house's walls were made of glass, allowing for a beautiful view of the ocean from the hill her San Diego beach house sat upon, the home was fairly isolated, so there wasn't much reason to worry about any Peeping Toms. Of course, even if there were any out there, it's not like Star would care. After all, she wasn't a child anymore. Dazzling baby blue eyes and twin heart shaped birthmarks on a cute, youthful face; modest B-cup breasts on a toned, athletic figure; wide hips that swung with confidence as she walked; golden blond hair that flowed down her back, ending mid-thigh, covering her firm, round butt. She was beautiful. Simply beautiful.

And with beauty comes confidence. But confidence can breed recklessness.

And with recklessness comes foolishness.

And with foolishness, disgrace.

And disgrace is what brought the princess away from her royal chambers in Mewni's castle, tended to by dozens of maids and butlers, and landed her in a smaller home on San Diego's coast, forced to care for herself. Of course, "smaller," in this case, is a relative term. The princess left home with a fair amount of gold and jewels from Mewni's treasury. Not enough to make a noticeable dent in the piles of precious metals and dazzling gemstones, but enough to never need to worry about money. And more than enough to purchase the gorgeous seaside villa.

The house itself wasn't absurdly large, but it was certainly more than enough space for a single occupant. A single-story home, the building sat atop a small hill overlooking the sea. To take full advantage of the view, the back half of the building, the side facing the ocean, featured glass walls, allowing for a panoramic view of the ocean. The interior contained a master bedroom, a guestroom, two full baths, a dining room, a living room, a kitchen, and a loft above the living room, where Star slept. The living room was, by far, the largest room in the house. It and the kitchen were essentially the entire back of the house and, together, they solely contained the ocean view.

Besides the loft, Star used the living room the most, which is why it was the only room that was even remotely furnished. Outside of the living room, most of the house was empty, except a bed, dresser, and wardrobe in the loft, and the usual appliances in the kitchen; an oven, stove, fridge, and the like. The living room contained a bright pink sofa and two armchairs of the same color, a huge flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, and a coffee table in the center of the room. There were also a few houseplants around the room, just to add some color. There wasn't a whole lot going on the room, but, compared to the other rooms, which were nothing but white walls and hardwood floors, the living room was well-decorated.

Speaking of decorations, however, there wasn't a single photo in the entire house. Nothing hung on the walls. Nothing sat in frames on the tables. No sign of anyone Star had ever been close to. Not a single one.

What good is it to remind yourself of people who abandoned you?

Star, not bothering to put on any clothes, wandered downstairs through the living room to the kitchen. She had a bit of a hangover, but nothing a little magic, a bottle of water, and an afternoon of doing nothing wouldn't fix. Technically, magic could solve the problem by itself, but that would require more effort being put into the magic, and Star really didn't feel like doing anything that required too much work, instead opting for a simple spell to ease the pain and leaving the rest for time to heal.

The living room and kitchen were basically the same room, as the only thing that really acted as a border between the two was a peninsula countertop, and, as the girl walked toward the fridge, she noticed the TV was on, albeit the volume was pretty low, so she hadn't noticed it. Whatever guy she had slept with the night before, whoever the hell he was, must have been watching something before he left earlier this morning. It was some science show on PBS, with some nerdy-looking guy in a lab coat talking about the stars.

"PBS?" she mumbled to herself. "That's for kids, isn't it? Damn, who'd I fuck last night?" But, as she reached the fridge, Star became aware of a soreness between her legs. Grabbing a water bottle, Star smirked a little. "Who _did_ I fuck last night? Might wanna see him again," she giggled.

As Star walked back to the couch, the man on the TV continued his lecture. "…which is why, because the sun is so close to Earth, it's difficult to see even the brightest stars during the day. But in the darkest nights, even the dimmest stars can seem to shine brighter than ever bef—"

"Aaaaand shut the fuck up," said Star as she grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. Throwing her hair over the back of the couch so she didn't sit on it, Star slouched down on the plush funiture, feet up on the coffee table, legs spread so far apart it would make a prostitute blush.

She sat like that for a while, water bottle in one hand, scrolling through Instagram with the other. An hour or so passed. Who knows, though, really. Star never really looked at the time, anyway. She always just did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Time didn't really matter.

Until, suddenly, a portal appeared above her TV, and, through it came Flying Princess Pony Head, Star's former best friend, and the only Mewman who Star had told her whereabouts to.

However, this time, Pony Head seemed somehow…different, but Star couldn't quite put her finger on why. Pony Head looked tired, was panting like she had just flew here as fast as possible, and her mane was a bit disheveled, but that wasn't what was bothering Star. Her head still hurt, though, so Star didn't give it much more thought than that.

Meanwhile, Pony Head had taken a second to catch her breath before speaking. "Star, I— Woah!" Pony Head whirled around to face away from Star. "What are you _doing_?! It's the middle of the afternoon, and your house's walls are glass, but here you are, on the couch, naked with your legs spread. The front door _and_ the back door are open, Star, and in plain view of everybody!"

Star frowned at the lecture but did see an interesting angle to tease Pony Head. "Oh, come on. It's not like you've never seen mine before. I used to skinny dip on Mewni, remember? You walked in on me there once or ten times, didn't you?" Star spread a tad wider and lifted her hips slightly. "Speaking of walking in on me, I got a bit of a hangover and was thinking I'd get myself off to try to deal with it. Since you're here, maybe you can help. That horn of yours is looking _very_ useful right about now ~ " she chimed.

"Firstly," Pony Head began without turning around. She nodded towards one of the back corners of the room, where a number of rubber toys were stashed in a cardboard box. "The contents of that box over there would indicate you don't need me at all for that. Secondly," Pony Head turned back around to face Star, her expression much more serious than Star had ever before seen on Pony Head. There was a fury in her eyes, an aura that demanded respect, an air of self-righteousness and arrogance.

"**Quit fucking around and put some damn clothes on.**"

Star immediately shot into an upright position on the couch, snapping her legs together, more out of reflex than anything. The authority in Pony Head's voice surprised Star, and the floating unicorn head had never appeared more imposing. It was almost as if…

And, at that moment, Star realized what had changed.

"_So it's like that, huh?_" she thought to herself, angrily.

Star resumed a more comfortable position, arms resting on the back of the couch. Her legs were still apart, but it was significantly more modest that before. Not breaking eye contact with the royal pony before her, Star slowly pulled her hair forward and draped it over her shoulders, letting it cascade over her breasts and land between her legs, covering her immodesty. "That's the best you're gonna get, Horsey," she deadpanned.

Pony Head glared.

"Oh, I'm sorry," continued Star, sarcastically. "Put off by the fact that this _commoner_ just refused a direct order, are you, _Princess_?"

"Star, you know that's not –"

"Or, I guess I'm supposed to call you _Queen_ now, aren't I?" Star hissed, as if she found the very idea of royalty infuriating.

Pony Head looked surprised. "You could tell? That I succeeded the Cloud Kingdom throne?"

"That's your dad's crown, isn't it? Only the ruler of the Cloud Kingdom is supposed to wear it, right? And I've never seen you wearing it before now. That's why you looked different when you showed up," explained Star as she took another swig of water. "But that look in your eye a moment ago. That's what gave it away." She rose from her seat and began walking towards Pony Head, who was still above Star's TV, about a foot above Star's head.

"That _goddamn_ look."

Star stood before her former friend, who remained floating above eye level.

"That disgusted…"

She reached up and grabbed Pony Head by the jaw.

"…disappointed…"

Star pulled Pony Head down, so that the royal had no choice but to look Star in the eye.

"…demeaning look in your eye. Like I'm nothing but a nuisance to you. An insect. A worthless piece of trash."

Star paused. The two stayed like that for a moment, staring at each other. Neither dared to move. Neither said a word. They just stayed there. Until Star broke the silence. Her words dripped with anger, and she spat them out like poison.

"Just… Like… _Mother_."

Star pushed Pony Head back and turned to walk away. "It infuriates me. But I guess all Queens are alike, huh? Now get the _fuck_ out of my house." Having said her piece, Star began walking towards to stairs to the loft to get dressed. But, as Star reached the stairway, Pony Head finally spoke up. "War has broken out on Mewni, Star. My father was killed in battle, and things are looking grim. Mewni needs you."

Star paused for a moment, though she didn't turn around. Pony Head moved toward the girl and continued, "No one could wield the wand like you, Star. No one in Mewnian history mastered the wand's power faster than you. Not even your mother. So –"

Pony Head stopped suddenly, realizing her mistake. But it was too late. Star whirled around, eyes and birthmarks glowing a brilliant white. The whole house shook as Star demanded, "_**GET OUT!**_"

Pony Head backed up quickly, hesitated, then spat out her dimensional scissors and left without another word. There was no reasoning with Star now. At least, not until she calmed down. Pony Head had made the fatal mistake of comparing Star to Queen Butterfly. No matter the context, it was never a good idea. Even if the comparison favored Star, the thought of being compared to the woman that stripped her of her status angered Star more than anything in the universe.

It was true that Star was one of the most talented magicians in Mewni's history, surpassing all previous queens. Within weeks of receiving the Butterfly heirloom wand, Star had already mastered its power. In fact, she had even become capable of using magic without the wand's aid, a feat that no prior queen had accomplished at such a young age. But, thanks to Queen Moon Butterfly, Star's mother, none of that mattered now.

Star wasn't a princess anymore.

Star had been banished from Mewni by her own mother.


	2. Nightfall

Nightfall

Marco Diaz hopped off the bus and began the short trek to his one bedroom apartment. Living in La Jolla wasn't cheap, but he was making a decent amount of money from his job at a nearby psychologist's office, so it was manageable. The 22-year-old had recently graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in psychology and decided it would be best to gain some practical experience before trying to get a PhD. Of course, that wasn't the only reason he decided to stay in Southern California.

Trying to manage Star in high school became increasingly difficult as time went on, and, once Star turned 18, it was pretty much impossible. After hosting the girl for four years, Marco and his parents had effectively given up, though Marco still tried to keep an eye on the girl to make sure nothing _too_ bad happened. Soon after graduation, Star returned to Mewni, though as far as Marco could tell, she wasn't there long, and returned to Earth about a year later.

According to Pony Head, Star was only on Mewni for a few weeks before her mom banished her for good. Apparently, Star spent the good part of the year partying and dimension hopping. Even Pony Head lost track of the girl after a while, but Marco gave her a heads-up once Star turned up on Earth.

At this point, Marco barely spoke to Star; it was unlikely that Star even knew Marco was in the area. For Marco, on the other hand, it was hard to miss the magical fireworks being set off near a beach just south of him every few days, so Star's presence was well known to him. Though she was no longer an exchange student, Marco couldn't help but feel he was still somehow responsible for her. He made a point to keep tabs on her through college, which turned out to be a relatively simple task. All he had to do was ask around about parties at a beach house and someone was sure to know something about the girl. Though he was upset that Star refused to listen to reason and stop partying her life away, Marco found it hard to cut her out of his life entirely, not wanting her to end up in ruin.

Marco stepped through the doorway, entering his living room, and was greeted immediately by the sight of Janna, wearing nothing but a pair of panties, laying on her stomach on the floor, reading some book on black magic. Sighing, Marco threw his jacket on her, covering her back, as he walked past her toward the bedroom.

"Why do you even bother?" asked Janna, without looking up. "You're not covering anything you haven't seen before."

"You'll catch a cold," replied Marco, without missing a beat.

Janna had shown up at the apartment a few days after Marco moved in, holding the original lease Marco had signed. The lease now contained Janna's name and signature as well. Knowing all too well it was useless to ask questions, Marco accepted Janna into his home. She was content sleeping on the couch and was surprisingly willing to pay half the rent. Where her rent money came from was a different question, but, at this point, Marco knew better than to pry.

The two were acquaintances. After high school, Janna disappeared for a while, probably off doing Janna things, before turning up in SoCal around the time Marco was finishing college. The two didn't interact much, with Marco working a steady nine-to-five, while Janna slipped in and out at all kinds of weird hours. There was really no telling where she was going or how long she'd be gone, but she paid rent on time, so Marco decided against asking.

Though they were comfortable with each other (Janna had a tendency to wear very little in the apartment, so there wasn't really any other option _besides_ being comfortable with each other), there wasn't much the two had in common. With Jackie now living in France and their other classmates scattered across the country, they didn't really have any mutual friends or any mutual interests.

That is, except Star.

She never outright said it, but Marco could tell Janna was worried about Star too. Whenever Marco received some new information about Star, he would relay it to Janna, who always seemed like she already knew. Janna had all kinds of connections, so it would make sense if she had people of her own watching Star.

Back in high school, Janna and Star had been close for a while. But, as Star grew increasingly wild, Janna was hesitant to keep up, eventually stepping away to watch Star's chaos unfold. Marco guessed that, in a way, Janna felt guilty, as she had originally encouraged Star's behavior, perhaps feeling responsible for the path Star now walked.

As Marco began changing out of his work clothes and into a more comfortable outfit (that is, jeans and a T-shirt), he heard a distinct tearing sound coming from the living room, followed by a familiar voice. "Marc-OH! Goddammit!"

"Hey Pony," said Janna.

"Seriously, what's with you girls and not wearing clothes? Is this some Earth thing?"

A brief silence. Marco could tell the space was filled by Janna shrugging. "It's more comfy. And more convenient."

"Convenient? What do you—"

Stepping out of his bedroom, Marco interjected. "Don't ask. Whatever she's going to say, it won't be good."

Pony Head was surprised by the interruption, having not noticed Marco entered the room. She turned to Marco, then back to Janna, who was now sitting on the couch with Marco's jacket draped over her shoulders, when a thought crossed her mind. "Wait, so are you two—"

"No," they both replied in unison.

"You haven't –"

"No," again, in unison.

"Never gonna happen," added Marco.

"Well," teased Janna. "I wouldn't say _never_." Her tone was suggestive, but Marco ignored it.

"Janna, whatever you did or plan to do, I don't wanna know about it. It's better for my own sanity that way." Janna smirked. Turning back to Pony Head, Marco continued, "So what brings you here, Pony Head? I can't imagine it's good news, Your Majesty."

Pony Head nodded. "So you noticed, too, huh?"

"The new crown is pretty conspicuous. And by 'too', I assume you mean you talked to Star."

Janna sat up at the mention of Star. Pony Head nodded again.

"And it didn't go well, did it?"

Another nod.

"Mind filling us in on what's been going on?"

* * *

Janna scratched her head. "Sounds like it's just another monster uprising. What's the big deal?"

Pony Head shook her head. "No, this isn't a typical uprising. One day, everyone woke up and there was a monster army marching towards Butterfly Castle. After that was put down, another came. Then another advanced on the Cloud Kingdom. And on the Underworld. Really anyone who had ever allied themselves with the Butterflies. It's like their attacks are coordinated."

Janna leaned forward. "But can't Mewmans typically handle a few monsters? You've been keeping them under control for however many generations. Why's it a problem this time?"

"Something's different. They're… competent. More determined than ever before. It's like they all learned military strategy overnight. And these monsters… they're strong. Too strong. Not like the monsters that used to come for Star's wand. It's insane. This has never happened before. Even with Queen Moon's magic, the combined military forces are barely keeping up."

"Something about this seems fishy," commented Marco. The boy had been listening quietly to Pony Head's story, thinking.

Pony Head and Janna looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

Marco paused for a moment. "Were there any signs of a monster uprising in the past few years? Any monsters causing trouble?"

Pony Head thought for a moment, then said, "No. Actually, now that you mention it, it'd been fairly calm the last couple years. No problems with stolen crops. No travelers getting attacked. Barely any monster-related issues at all."

"So," Marco continued. "Star, probably Mewni's greatest magical asset, is banished and disappears. Not long after, no one on Mewni, not even you, Pony, knows where she went. _At the same time,_ monsters suddenly stop being a problem altogether. Then, out of nowhere, the most coordinated monster offensive ever, coupled with monsters stronger than any that Mewmans have faced before. That's all so… convenient."

Janna rubbed her chin. "So, what you're saying is, someone knew Star was gone, figured there was no chance of her ever coming back, and took the opportunity to prepare an army."

Marco nodded.

Pony Head was in shock. "But why? The conflict between monsters and Mewmans had died down in the past few decades. There hasn't been a serious war in generations!"

"That," answered Marco. "is a question for whoever is in charge." The young man rose to his feet. "So let's go find out who that is."

Janna and Pony Head stared at Marco, surprised.

"What?"

"You seem pretty confident about all this, Diaz."

"Yeah. It's not a bad thing, but it's a bit unexpected."

Marco shrugged and replied, "I guess trying to keep up with Star all those years has numbed me to unwanted surprises. Now, come on. You two need to head back to Mewni."

"And don't tell me, you're…" began Pony Head.

"I'm going to get Star," deadpanned Marco. "If I'm right, whoever's attacking Mewni thinks Star isn't coming back and that no one knows where she went. Even if she doesn't fight, news that Star's on Mewni might be enough to scare them, get them to stop fighting. All I need to do is get her through the portal."

Janna, still on the couch, clapped her hands together. "Welp, sounds like fun. Lemme just get changed." The girl threw Marco's jacket back at him and reached under the couch, pulling out her usual teal sweater, yellow skirt, and green shirt with matching beanie.

"You uh… keep your clothes under the couch?" asked a confused Pony Head as Janna got dressed.

Janna made a face of disbelief. "What? No. That'd be weird."

"Then why –"

"Pony Head, just… stop." interrupted Marco.

Janna giggled.

Once Janna was ready, Pony Head tore open a portal back to Mewni. Wishing Marco good luck, the girls stepped through and the portal closed behind them. Once they were gone, Marco made his way to the front door. "Alright," he whispered to himself. "Here we go."


	3. Dawn of a New Day

Dawn of a New Day

"Wow, you really undersold the scale of this war," mumbled Janna as she followed Pony Head through the war-torn Mewnian capital on their way to the castle.

"I told you. Things aren't looking good. That's why I needed to resort to drastic measures to try to stop this," replied Pony Head without looking back.

Janna paused for a moment to look around. If she hadn't seen the capital before, it would be hard to believe anyone ever lived here. Most of the homes, which had been built primarily of wood and straw, were completely missing; only piles of ash remained where they once stood. Any structure that had been made of stone had been reduced to piles of rubble. Small fires still burned sporadically throughout the ruins. What few citizens remained in the area were either scavenging the ruins for pieces of their destroyed lives or sitting silently, staring at nothing.

Nothing resembling a city remained. Nothing except for the smoldering, blackened ruins of a fierce battle. In the distance, Janna could hear sobbing.

The girl resumed her walking, moving towards the only structure that still stood against the skyline, Butterfly Castle. An interesting thought crossed Janna's mind, but she decided to keep it to herself.

For most of the walk, Janna and Pony Head were silent, the former in shock and awe of the destruction, the latter deep in thought. It wasn't until they neared the castle gate that Janna spoke once more. "I can understand why everyone sent you to get Star. This is…unbelievable."

"…dn't…"

"What?"

"They didn't."

Janna stopped walking, suddenly very concerned. "They… they didn't what?"

Pony Head was silent.

Janna sped up until she was walking side by side with her companion. "They didn't what, Pony Head!?"

Pony Head stopped. Janna stopped ahead of her, turning to look the Cloud Kingdom's ruler in the eye. For a moment, neither said a word. "You didn't tell them…"

"I told you. I needed to resort to drastic measures."

"So you unilaterally decide to bring back the banished princess without telling anyone?!"

Again, silence.

Janna continued. "Look, I agree that this," Janna gestured to the ruins behind them. "needs Star. Mewni needs some seriously hard-hitters if this is what we're dealing with. But going behind everyone's back is…something _I_ would do. You're playing with fire. After what happened between Star and her mom, bringing her back without telling anyone could –"

"I can handle it."

Pony Head didn't meet Janna's gaze and the two were silent once more. After what felt like an eternity, Janna backed off.

"I certainly hope you can. But you should tell everyone what you did. Because if this goes wrong…" Janna looked back out over the ruins.

Pony Head continued onward towards the castle.

Janna shook her head. "…things could get a lot worse."

* * *

Star slowly made her way to the front door, trying to keep her eyes of the TV as she walked. So far, her day had consisted of binge-watching terrible Sci-Fi movies and nothing else. She had, at least, gotten dressed: an oversized pair of pink pajama pants and an old white T-shirt.

The knock at the door was an annoying surprise, especially since things were getting interesting in this latest Alien knock-off. Not wanting to pause the movie, yet somehow sure that whoever was at the door wouldn't be leaving until she answered, Star resorted to slowly walking towards to door, never looking away from TV.

Opening her front door, and still refusing to take her eyes off the screen, Star demanded, "What do you want? I'm busy."

"No, you're not."

Recognizing the voice, Star immediately tried to slam the door shut, but Marco had slid his foot in the way, preventing it from closing. Mumbling "Dammit," under her breath, Star, still not looking at Marco, made her way back to the couch to continue her movie. Marco followed behind and took up a spot leaning against the wall next to Star's TV, not saying anything, but ensuring that he was in Star's line of sight.

The two stayed like that for a while, Star watching TV, Marco messing with his phone, and before they knew it, the credits were rolling.

And something smashed against the wall next to Marco's head.

The boy managed to duck in time to avoid getting hit by any of the shrapnel and looked down to see a shattered beer bottle at his feet. Unharmed and unfazed, the young man looked up to see Star seething with anger. Yet he remained silent.

"What. Do. You. Want," demanded Star. "You standing there, not saying a fucking word, is pissing me off. You come find me, come into my house, and just fucking stand there?! No lectures? No requests to change my ways? No words of reconciliation? Fucking _nothing_?!"

"I didn't have to find you," replied Marco, calmly ignoring Star's tone and most of her questions.

"Right, it was probably Pony Head who –"

Marco cut her off. "Other way around."

Star's look of anger became a mix of anger and confusion.

"I told Pony Head where you were," continued Marco. "Since you pretty much landed in my backyard. I've been in San Diego for four years now, and it was pretty noticeable once you showed up."

Marco ducked as another empty bottle came flying his way.

"So _you're_ the reason that bitch knows where I am. Coming by randomly to check in like she gives a damn. Probably spying on me for the _Queen_." Again, Star spat out the word 'queen' with disgust.

"I doubt it. She really seems con –"

Marco stopped as Star rose to her feet, eyes and hands glowing a brilliant white. She directed the palm of her right hand towards Marco and demanded once more, "What the fuck do you want?"

Marco was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why don't you just blast me? Wouldn't that make you feel better?"

Star seemed surprised by the question, and, for a brief moment, seemed to seriously ponder the question, before her rage returned once more. "Answer me or I _will_ blast you. And I promised to make it hurt."

Again, Marco paused for a moment. "You already know why."

"I already told Pony Head I'm not –"

"Put your hand down, Star."

"What?"

"You're not gonna blast me."

Star's hands began to glow even brighter as her anger boiled. "And why the fuck is that?"

"Then shoot."

Silence.

Then a white beam shot from Star's hand.

* * *

"Queen Pony Head! Where have you been?" demanded Queen Moon the moment Pony Head and Janna entered the conference room. It was a fairly small room, furnished only with a round table and several chairs. Laid out on the table were a variety of maps and charts, marked up with lines and arrows, and covered with miniature Mewni soldier and monster statues. In the chairs were Mewni's rulers, King River and Queen Moon, as well as the rulers of the lesser kingdoms, like the Lucitors and the Johansens, and a few of the higher ups in the Mewnian military. Everyone in the room seemed troubled, with the sole exception of Moon. She wore a strange expression filled with fatigue, worry, and anger.

"I was recruiting help."

"What help?" asked Moon, incredulously.

"Yo," said Janna, casually sipping on a corn shake.

All at once, everyone in the room seemed to realize Janna was present. Pony Head, however, noticed something else. "How…how did you get a corn shake?"

Before Janna could reply, Tom Lucitor, who was standing behind his parents, spoke up. "Janna? You brought Janna?"

"Marco…should be on his way…soon…" Pony Head seemed to shrink as she spoke, as if she suddenly realized how insignificant her so-called "help" seemed.

"But…why? I mean, no offense, Janna, but I don't think you or Marco will be much help here. You'd only be risking you're lives for a dimension that isn't yours," continued Tom.

"I have to agree with Tom," added King River, in an uncharacteristically solemn tone. "I'm afraid this may have already advanced beyond the point where you might be of assistance. It'd be for the best if you took Janna home, Pony Head."

A few more royals began voicing their opinions when Queen Moon suddenly slammed her hand on the table. "ENOUGH!" Her voice instantly silenced the room. "We'll deal with this matter later. Right now, we need to determine where the enemy will attack next before there's another slaughter of –"

"Right here."

Moon jumped back, not expecting Janna to suddenly appear beside her. The girl's finger was pointing to a rather rural area of the map, barely populated, with houses few and far between. Everyone considered the girl's selection for a moment, before, in unison, voicing their opposition.

"That's ridiculous." "There's nothing out there." "They've only launched assaults on major cities."

"Exactly," retorted Janna. "Based on your maps, they've only attacked capital cities, where your castles are. I noticed this when we were outside, but don't you think this castle is in pretty damn good condition given what happened to the rest of the city?"

No one answered.

"So," Janna continued. "No one's castle was actually damaged at all, right?"

No answer.

"But the cities themselves were leveled?"

A few quiet nods. Most avoided eye contact.

"Now, look at this map. It's not that they targeted major cities; they specifically targeted the capitals of every kingdom under Butterfly influence. When Pony Head first mentioned that, I thought it seemed dumb to attack the most fortified place in every kingdom right at the start of a war. I mean, this war started, what, like a week ago?

"So maybe they wanted to end the war quickly. Hit fast and hard, and no one will see it coming. But, if they wanted that, why bother attacking anyone other than the Butterflies? It'd be a waste of time to bother with all you scrubs.

"So what's their game plan? Why are they doing this? It seems like a stupid idea. Then I saw outside. That level of destruction without a scratch on the castle? Yeah, right. There's no way you defended the castle that well while letting the town get annihilated. The monsters _chose_ to leave it intact. The same goes for all your castles.

"They're playing with you. There showing you that, if they wanted, any and all of your castles could fall _right now_ and there's nothing you can do about it. They're not trying to end the war quickly; they want to drag it out. Make it slow and painful. And I, for one, can respect that."

Sitting back in a nearby chair, Janna added. "In conclusion, you're all blind idiots."

The room was completely silent. Everyone was in total shock of Janna's theory. It all seemed to make sense. Until Moon spoke. "Why, then, would they want to attack a village in the middle of nowhere?"

"To prove _your_ point," replied Janna. "Like everyone said a minute ago, 'there's nothing out there'. That's what you think of those villages. They're nothing to you. So you won't defend them." Janna took a sip of her shake.

"That doesn't answer the question."

"Jesus, do I really need to spell it out for you?" Janna rocked forward in her chair and gestured with her arms to emphasize her next sentence. "They're trying to turn your people against you. A long war hurts no one more than the ruler. I'm sure morale in the army is way down after getting crushed trying to defend the capitals. Then the fancy castles are left intact to remind the peasants whose failure caused this. The farmers live out in the rural areas, right? If they go after the farmers on the outskirts of the kingdom and you do nothing, it shows how little you actually care about them. Worst case scenario, the farmers switch sides. That leads to no food for the kingdom, then famine, starvation, more death, more unrest, more people lose faith, and the cycle continues. It's, like, the fastest way to tear down an empire, from the bottom up," finished Janna.

Once again, the room was left in total silence, until Moon turned to her generals. "Send the military to guard the villages farthest from the capital. Deploy everyone. No village can have too much protection."

The men nodded silently and exited the room. Janna leaned back in her chair. On the other side of the room, Pony Head was in shock. "Pardon my language, but, Janna, what the fuck?! How…what?!"

Janna, once again sipping her shake, shrugged. "I watch a lot of history documentaries."

An awkward atmosphere filled the room, until King Spiderbite spoke up. "Are we really going to base our decisions on the theory of a girl with no military experience?! Surely we should be discussing this more before acting?"

"But it works…" said Queen Moon. The woman looked defeated, bent over the table, studying the map. "It adds up. It's true that we could have been crushed, but they let us survive. Unrest is already starting to build. At this point, it's not a matter of whether she's right or not. But if we lose the trust of the farmers, things will only get worse. We need to protect them, even if it means we lose elsewhere."

"But –"

Queen Moon looked up, staring daggers. "Do you have a better idea, King Spiderbite?"

The man seemed taken aback, then quietly shook his head.

"Then we'll work based off on Janna's ideas for now. It's all we have to go on."

From her chair, Janna raised her hand. "By the way…"

Everyone, once again, turned towards Janna. Janna, on the other hand, looked directly at Pony Head. As she realized what was happening, Pony Head's expression slowly transformed from curious to concerned to scared.

Janna continued, never looking away from her friend. "Pony Head has a secret weapon, and I think it's about time she lets everyone in on it."

Everyone's gaze shifted to Pony Head. The young queen was clearly panicked and reluctant to speak. "Well, Queen Pony Head?" prompted Queen Moon.

"You can't keep it a secret anymore, Pony," added Janna.

Knowing Janna was right, Pony Head took a deep breath and began. "Marco's coming…"

"Yeah," said Tom. "We went over this –"

"And he's bringing Star."


	4. Burning Emotion

Burning Emotion

Star stared at the hole she had created. It had to be around 4 inches in diameter and went straight through the wall. The edges were black and still smoldering from the white-hot beam that had torn through moments ago. The smell of burned drywall filled the room.

Marco, on the other hand, continued to stare at Star, unharmed, unflinching, and unfazed by the hole that had appeared half an inch to the right of his head. The girl seemed almost shocked that she had missed her mark, given that the two young adults were standing no more than a few feet apart. Her surprise, however, only seemed to last a moment, quickly replaced by irritation. Clicking her tongue, the girl muttered, "You're lucky I missed."

Marco shook his head. "No. I told you. You won't kill me. You're a lot of things, Star, but you're still a good person deep down. Even if you, yourself, don't believe it."

Star flopped back down on the couch. "Oh, so _this_ is where the lectures start."

"No," replied Marco in a casual tone. The boy once again pulled his phone out of his pocket and started playing around on it again. This made Star shoot upright in disbelief. "Fuckin' seriously?! Are you trying to piss me off?"

Without looking up, Marco replied, "No."

After a few moments in silence, with Marco on his phone and Star in disbelief, the girl spoke up once more. "Ok, fine. I'll bite. What are you doing?"

"Playing a—"

"Not 'what you're doing on your phone'. What are you doing?"

Marco slid his phone back into his pocket. "Making sure you were calm enough to be reasonable. I figured getting you to shoot at me would be the fastest way to get all your anger out."

Star got comfortable on the couch once more. "And if I _had_ shot you?"

"I knew you wouldn't."

"But if I had?"

"Well, I'd be too dead to be worried anything else, wouldn't I?" replied Marco, tilting his head toward the hole.

Star shrugged. "Fair. Now, enough with the stupid chitchat and back to the reason you're here. I'm _never_ going back there to help _her_. I don't care what moral high ground bullshit you try to pull; I'm not going to fight for her."

"I wasn't going to ask you to."

Marco's somewhat vague reply resulted in a confused look from Star. Marco continued, "If I'm right, the only reason this war started in the first place was because you left. You were easily Mewni's strongest military asset, given you magical prowess. If I hadn't told Pony Head, no one on Mewni would have any idea where you were. Meaning, in the event of war, Mewni couldn't pull you out of their back pocket. If news spreads that you're back on Mewni, whoever is leading this monster army might back down out of fear."

Star listened carefully, an unreadable expression on her face, before repeating, "I'm not going to fight for her."

"You don't have to."

"I won't talk to her."

"You won't have to. All I need from you is to come back to Mewni, stay for 2, maybe 3, days, just long enough to get word around that you're back. Then you can come back here. If things went well on their end, Pony Head and Janna might have already convinced everyone back on Mewni that this could work, and this could go smoothly."

Star didn't seem convinced. "And if they didn't convince them?"

"I'll try to work things out as best I can."

Star didn't waver.

Marco, however, had one last thing to add. "You're a good person, Star. And if there's anything about you that made you fit to be a princess, it's that you care about the people around you."

This got Star to speak up. "No, I don't," she said, sounding almost insulted. "I don't give two shits about anyone other than m—"

"We lived together for four years, Star. I could tell. Every time you went out and did something stupid and dangerous with your friends, no one ever came back hurt beyond a few scratches. Given the alcohol-fueled parkour, fireworks, drag racing and whatever the hell else you were pulling, that would've been a miracle. But it was you, wasn't it? You used magic to protect them."

Star said nothing.

"And that was the sole trait that made you a good princess. You were always rebellious and acted out, but deep in your heart, you cared about nothing more than your subjects, your people. That's why you're angry, isn't it? Not because you were banished, but because you can no longer ensure that your people are safe. And, now, hearing that this war isn't going well for Mewni is tearing up at you."

Marco waited. Star had shifted her gaze downward as he spoke. Neither said a word.

"You know," began Star after a few minutes. "You're wrong about some of that."

"But I'm right about some of it, too."

"I already said your moral high ground bullshit wouldn't work."

Marco smirked. "But it did, didn't it?"

Star rose to her feet, not looking at Marco and somehow feeling defeated. She wore an expression of sadness and worry. "Shut up."

Waving her hand, Star opened a portal back to her homeland and stepped through. Marco followed.

Neither, however, was prepared to witness the hellscape that was laid out before them. The ruins of the capital were a site that the pair could not have imagined, and it suddenly became painfully clear that this war was much worse than either had expected.

Caught off guard by the state of Mewni's largest city, Marco could only stutter out, "W-what…?"

"What the fuck is this…?"

Marco turned to see Star seething with rage. Within her burned an anger bigger and hotter than anything Marco had seen in her before. For the first time since he had met her, Marco was witnessing a truly furious Star. Gone was any trace of the worry she had shown just moments ago. All she felt was a white-hot rage. And Marco was afraid he knew who she would direct it at.

"Star, w—"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" In an instant, Star rocketed herself towards Butterfly castle.

"Star, wait!" Marco knew he had no hope of catching Star before she made it to the castle, but still sprinted as fast as he could, hoping he could defuse the rapidly escalating situation.

Unfortunately for the young man, by the time he burst into the castle's throne room, Marco could tell things had gotten too far out of hand. As soon as he entered, all that could be heard was the shouting match between Star and Queen Moon. Everyone else in the room, guards, other royals, even King River, remained silent and as still as statues, apparently too fearful or too wise to interfere with the quarreling of the two women.

There was, however, one voice that spoke up, though it was not joining in the screaming. It came from behind Marco's left shoulder and addressed the boy directly. "Oh, hey! Marco, you made it."

Whirling around, Marco was initially relieved to see Janna, hoping he might have some backup. That feeling quickly faded, however, upon the realization that Janna was locked in a large cage in the corner of the room. Still, it was an opportunity to get some answers.

"Janna! What the hell happened? The capital's obliterated! And I take it Queen Moon wasn't too happy with my plan. Where's Pony Head?"

Janna, who was sitting in the corner of the cage with an empty shake cup and a small bag of popcorn, dumped the rest of her popcorn in her mouth and began, "Ok, so funny story. It turns out bringing someone back from banishment without permission is illegal. Like, super illegal. 'Off with her head' illegal. So what happened was— oh, hey, watch out."

Before Marco could react, one of the massive guards grabbed Marco by the hood of his jacket, opened the door to the cage, and threw him in. As the boy recovered from the unexpected impact, Janna continued, "So, like I was saying, what happened was Pony Head knew this wouldn't go well, it being illegal and all, but had decided it was worth the risk to save everyone. Moon didn't take it well and decided Pony should be executed for treason." Seeing Marco's shocked expression, Janna added. "Oh, she's in the dungeon right now. The execution won't be til after the war is over. You and me, on the other hand, we're awaiting trial. Since Pony kinda undersold the scale of the war and the illegality of the plan back on Earth, we might not get executed since we didn't know. Only life imprisonment.

"Also, check it out." Janna pointed to a gold star pin on her sweater. "I'm, like, a temporary military officer. You jealous?"

Marco scratched his head, a concerned look on his face. "Alright…so what's been happening here? I mean, what happened with Star and her mom before I got here?"

Janna shrugged. "I don't know. It's kinda hard to follow. Star bust in yelling something about how Moon failed as a queen, then Moon said something about how Star was unworthy of even being in the castle. Then it was just a lot of yelling and I can't tell at all what they're saying. Honestly, I'm just waiting for something cool to happen."

As if on cue, a sharp noise suddenly came from behind them. Whirling around, the pair saw that a smoking hole had appeared next to Queen Moon's head. Star stood in the middle of the room with her hand raised, and it was apparent that Star had just fired on her own mother. A painful silence filled the room, no one moved, and the mother-daughter pair continued to stare each other down. After what seemed like forever, Queen Moon broke the silence. "Take her to the dungeon. In an isolated cell. She'll be dealt with later."

As the guards timidly approached Star, the girl announced, "You've failed as a Queen. With you as its leader, Mewni will fall. It disgusts me to know that I'm related to the woman who will destroy this kingdom." As the guards reached out to grab Star to take her away, she slapped their hands away. "I know where the fuckin' dungeon is." Then she turned and walked out of the room. The guards hesitated for a moment, then followed the young woman out of the room toward the dungeon.

"Coulda been cooler," whispered Janna.

All eyes returned to Queen Moon. Rubbing her temples, Queen Moon seemed to be aging every minute. The woman was clearly stressed by all the recent goings on and her face was notably more wrinkled than it had been the day before. After a moment, the woman spoke without looking up, "Alright, send the military to the outskirts to defend the farmers. I want reports every hour, from every farming village in the kingdom. Leave only the bare minimum to guard the castles."

Everyone in the room nodded silently. Queen Moon looked up. "NOW." Suddenly, the room was filled with activity, as everyone scrambled to do their part to fulfill the Queen's order.

"And you." Moon pointed to the two guards standing closest to Marco and Janna's cage. "Take those two to the dungeon as well. Put them in a cell near the entrance. I want them easily accessible when I go talk to them." The two guards saluted and immediately dragged the cage away.

* * *

Marco paced the cell while Janna laid back on one of the small cots, staring at the ceiling. Having just been filled in by Janna, Marco immediately began considering their next move, but their options were painfully limited. Sighing, Marco conceded and leaned against the wall opposite Janna's cot. "So? What do you think we should do?"

"Not much we can do. We _are_ in jail." Turning to face Marco, smirking, Janna added, "Wanna fuck?"

"No."

Janna shrugged and returned her gaze to the ceiling. "Your loss. But we're gonna have to just let everything play out for now. Seems we're benched until Queen Moon comes down here to talk to us. And even then, there's no guarantee we'll be able to help out going forward. All we can do is hope the army holds its own for now."

* * *

Down in the deepest part of the dungeon, Star leaned against the wall, absentmindedly touching herself, since there was nothing else to do. This part of the dungeon was dark. Only a single torch lit the area around Star's cell. It was also quiet since no guards bothered to patrol the area. However, despite its lack of immediate security, no one could get down here or leave without passing several guard checkpoints.

Which is why Star was surprised when a figure seemed to suddenly appear in front of her cell.

Glaring at the shadowy figure, though not ceasing her current activity, Star demanded, "Who the fuck are you?"


End file.
